Lawrence Butler

Lawrence Eugene Butler (March 15, 1957 – October 23, 2018) was an American basketball player. He led NCAA Division I in scoring while playing for the Idaho State Bengals during the 1978–79 season. Butler was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1979 NBA draft although he never played professionally.

Butler was born in Glasgow, Missouri, and attended Glasgow High School. He transferred to Idaho State for his final two seasons. In Lawrence's junior year and his first at Idaho State, he averaged 23.8 points in 26 games played, Butler scored a game-high 18 points as his West team defeated the Midwest team, 119–107.

After his collegiate career had ended, the Chicago Bulls selected Butler in the second round as the 33rd overall pick of the 1979 NBA draft, but he decided not to pursue a professional career in basketball. He returned to Missouri and worked at the Marshall Habilitation Center for 30 years until his retirement in 2011. Butler died at the Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, Missouri, on October 23, 2018, aged 61.